virtualmom

I (HEART) NY public library

For two years now I have been getting my books through the NYPL and I feel great about it.  I actually read more now than before I started using the library regularly.  The reason for that is because I am cheap.  I never liked to spend money on books for myself.  I could justify buying books for the kids when they were younger but I felt like spending on books that I would only use once, was a waste of money.  This attitude ultimately resulted in my reading less than I would have liked.  

It was only when I started taking books out from the library that I started to enjoy reading.  Being cheap, I love that I can  read for free too(it really adds to my enjoyment). For the last week or two I have not had a book near my nightstand and I missed having a book to escape into. This morning I got an email from the library saying that Richard Russo's That Old Cape Magic was waiting for me.  I got so excited and rushed up to The Jefferson Market Library to get it.  How simple yet how great is that?  It is rainy out and La. took S. to her futsal game and L. is out at the basketball courts, so I am going to delve right into it! 

BTW: The book is a mid-life man questioning his parents failed marraige, his own troubled own, and life in general.  Hmmmm.  Sounds familiar.

Great Resource for finding your next Book to Read

I stumbled across this site called Readallday.org.  This woman with a very busy schedule(including 5 kids!) committed to reading A BOOK A DAY for one whole year!  She started on her  46th birthday last October 28th and is almost through the year.  If you check out her site, she lists a brief review everyday and has posted her favorites.  I have read some of her favorites and agree with their selection, so I think our tastes are compatible, I am going to use her list in the future whenever I need a new read! 

Good luck and Good Reading Nina!

“MARRYING GEORGE CLOONEY: Confessions from a Midlife Crisis”

The title of this new book is enticing enough for me to go out and buy it.  I never buy books(just take them out from the library) but I might have to break my own rule based simply on the title.  I mean, who doesn't dream of marrying George Clooney!

I love this title! It speaks volumes to women of a certain age!

Warren Buffett Invited Controversial Author to Sign at Annual Meeting

I am supposed to pick up The Snowball(about Warrne Buffett) from the library today and I think I'll request this one while I am there--just another perspective!

A Sense of Urgency

By now, you know that I love In Good Company, the shared workspace that I work out of, but I love IGC even more now that they have created a Book Club. I will be part of a group of like minded small business owners who will read business books and discuss them together so that we better our business knowledge. How great is that??? I have been in many book clubs before - all of which we read fictions in, this will be a first for me to read business books with a group! I am excited!
First up is John Kotter's newest book: A Sense of Urgency. Got back from Israel and the book was waiting for me at the library(gosh I love the library), started it last night.
Join along if you want!

My Period! The Irony, I hated it for so long, now I don't want to lose it!

There is a wonderful new book out for teen girls about uh-hum, periods! It is called My Little Red Book. I picked it up for S. who will soon join me in the ranks of womenhood. Can you imagine it was an 18 year old who thought of this book, a book of short stories about First Periods? What a friggin' good idea. Total market niche product- a book that moms will buy for their daughters. It is a great book in the sense that young readers can identify with these stories. It might become the new 'must have' book for the 10-16 age group.
My period is flowing as I write(sorry to embarass any reader out there) and it is a heavy one. It is weird but I feel good about this heavy period because they have showed signs of slowing down(they come monthly still but in a much milder form) which to me means that menopause can't be too far away--which translates into: OLD AGE! Yikes.
Ironically as fertile ability dwindles away, I don't want the same monthly mess that I have loathed for so many years to stop! So now my motto is: let it flow, please let it flow!
But back to the book, or my FIRST story that was not in the book. I was only 10 years old when I got my first period. I was too young, my mother had not even brought up the topic yet--assuming she still had time before she had to break the bad news to me. Well, let me tell you that when I woke up at Leah Nickamin's house(sleepover) and found blood all over my underwear, I was shocked! Stunned and stupified as well. None of my friends had theirs yet and I was embarassed and didn't tell anyone for quite some time. It wasn't a feel good experience. I don't believe I even told my mom.
I am over it now(I think) but it was traumatic! I don't want the same for my little one, so we have been talking about periods for a while now. I have showed her all of the feminine products she will soon be using, and although she says yuck to them all, at least she will be more prepared than I when her day comes.
This book will help too!

Scared to Look at my Stats!

I disappeared from this blog for an entire week and this morning I was scared to view the stats showing how many people viewed the site. I looked anyway and sure enough, the numbers were down. I don't use this blog as an income source, so in the longrun, viewership doesn't matter, but when viewership has been on the upswing, I can't help but be disappointed in myself for missing a week!
My excuse? One of the books that I have been wanting to read finally came in to the library and I picked it up and started reading it over the past week. The book is by Julia Cameron called the Artist's Way. It is another self-help book, but one that was recommended by several people I respect. From the very beginning of the book, she has you writing first thing in the morning in LONG HAND in a notebook! Well, all is fine and dandy, I can do that but I normally write in this blog at that time! She asks that you do this exercise for 12 weeks. So far, it has been hard for me to write in a journal and then open the computer and write some more!
The exercise is called Morning Pages and is supposed to be free form. You write whatever comes out, no pre-conceived notions. You have to fill three pages and then stop! You could write, "I don't know what to write, I don't know what to write" on all 3 pages. This is to clear your mind of the accumulated junk on a daily basis- just like you might clear your tummy of such every morning.
I questioned my friend Donna about it and she said to just do it and not question it!

Penis Pokey. I want an Idea like this!

I don't know why I think this book is so cute and clever and funny but I do and apparently a lot of others think so too because it is selling so well. This is what the publisher says about it: This book contains no nudity. No profanity. No sexual material of any kind. And yet it's totally obscene.
I want a bestselling idea like this!
How about the matching undies? Too much? HMMMM.. gotta think about what's next!

Of Mice and Men per my son's request. Am I raising readers?

I re-read Of Mice and Men yesterday as per L's. request. He had just finished it for his 7th grade english class and declared it his favorite book to date, he urged me,"Mom, please read it again". He even read me the first chapter out loud to encourage me. Even though I am currently reading a couple of good books, I couldn't refuse. As a reader, I can't tell you how much it meant that he wanted to share a book with me.
It's a good book with a lot of conflicting emotions in it. I can see why he liked it so much. He has so many more books ahead of him!
Now S. asked me to read Twilight, which she just finished and loved. I want to read it for her, but it has over 500 pages!

Reading

On most school days I meet S. afterschool at the Y. We meet at the Y because it is approximately half way in between home and Salk. This gives her a little bit of autonomy and I don't have to go both uptown and crosstown on public transportation--which costs in time. I have to leave whatever I am doing mid-afternoon to meet her and I think eventually I will hire a sitter to replace me but for the time being, this arrangement is working. S. and I get a little time together everyday and for that I am grateful.
Today I was early so I stopped in the library. It was perfect timing because I had nothing to read on my nightstand. I am so excited because I found a book I had been waiting for and also a brand new book by one of my favorite authors, John Barth! I did not know he had a new book out. So tonight after our last outdoor soccer game of the year, I am going to hop into bed and read! Just can't decide which book to start with-hmmm.